The problem with Pico 4’s higher resolution and larger field of view is that it’s powered by the same old Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 chipset used in Quest 2. The result of asking the same chip to render more pixels and more geometry each frame is somewhat predictable: performance issues. With Quest 2 you need multiple accessories to make it comfortable: a proper strap and a replacement facial interface. Pico 4 is comfortable out of the box – it’s a refreshing change.

I think that anyone buying a Pico 4 today is likely to have a headset that they can use for at least a few years without it being significantly superseded by superior headsets for the same price. I created a long beam with pieces of Meccano, then threaded the original top strap through two pieces of meccano tightly bolted together. Comfort is an area where you will find the entire spectrum of opinions regarding the Pico 4. The headset feels light on your head and well-balanced due to the rear-mounted battery. However, the head strap isn’t particularly comfortable, and the facial interface is pretty bad if I am honest. It is far too wide for my face, making it reasonably uncomfortable, and causing a huge amount of light leak at each side of the headset. The system software inside VR is very similar to Quest. It’s clearly “inspired”, in the same sense as many Chinese Android brands are “inspired” by iOS. If you’ve tried a Quest and liked the interface, you’ll probably like Pico’s. If you didn’t, you probably won’t like this either. This does mean i still have peripheral vision like with a quest pro. But I'm actually coming around to this. For beat saber i prefer being able to see a little bit. However it was a little distracting in dark scenesin half life alyx.

Otro problema que tenía con el facial original era el material con el que estaba hecho, de una especie de tela que absorbía todo el sudor y lo dejaba empapado. Una vez organicé una reunión de jugones con un grupo de amigos para darle al Pistol Whip y ya te puedes imaginar lo que era pasarnos de uno a otro las gafas sudadas… El facial que viene con la compra de PICO 4 es duro, muy duro, hay usuarios que se acostumbran a él, pero a mi se me clavaba en las mejillas y me era muy incómodo en sesiones de más de una hora. Let’s move on to look at some individual aspects of the Pico 4 and see how they have fared over the last year. Pico 4 Review Video

There is however a major issue with Pico 4’s comfort – but it only affects some people. Pico 4 has continuous lens separation adjustment to theoretically support a wide range of interpupillary distances (IPDs), which is great for visual comfort. But while the lenses can get as close as 58mm, there’s a good reason the spec sheet only claims support for 62mm – 72mm. To set the IPD below 62mm you need to accept a notice warning you that the lenses might “press directly against” your nose. Además la apertura del facial es demasiado ancha y se suele filtrar la luz de la habitación a través de los laterales de las gafas, que impacta contra las Lentes Pancake y en escenarios de poca luz estropean la inmersión. Pico 4 offers sharper, wider and taller lenses in a slimmer & lighter design that makes Quest 2 look outdated by comparison. But the content ecosystem is far less developed, the software isn’t as refined, and the processor can struggle to keep up with higher resolution. The battery life on Pico 4’s controllers seemed roughly on par with Quest 2’s, though they require 2 AA batteries each compared to 1. If you own a gaming PC though, you can play Beat Saber and Onward as well as PC VR exclusives like Half-Life: Alyx and Skyrim VR via SteamVR. Like Quest, Pico 4 has built-in wired and wireless PC VR streaming. It doesn’t work quite as well as Air Link, with more noticeable occasional stutters. But thankfully Virtual Desktop is also available on the Pico store, and it works just as well as on Quest. ConclusionsIf you’re on a tight budget, you definitely won’t be disappointed at all with Pico 4, and I do think Pico is committed to the VR space, so it is highly likely that their content library and ecosystem will continue to expand. It’s just a little riskier, in case they don’t become a viable long-term participant in the consumer VR industry, or their competitors pull ahead in the future and you want to jump ship to a different platform in the future. Much of the discussion so far about Pico 4 has centered on the on-paper technical specs. We have a rundown of those with a comparison to Quest 2 already. But in this review, I’m going to talk about the experience those specs create when they all come together, what the device is like in real usage, and whether or not you should actually buy one instead of a Quest 2. Comfort & IPD So yeah, the lenses are so big they crush the nose of people with a narrow IPD. But their size also delivers my favorite aspect of Pico 4: the field of view. It’s both wider and taller than Quest 2, and it’s instantly noticeable. Interestingly, Meta’s CTO was right: the field of view being taller is actually more impactful than it being wider. Ironically, Quest Pro’s field of view is as wide as Pico 4 but not as tall. I haven’t yet received a Quest Pro review unit, but based on my initial impressions I suspect Pico 4 will be my wireless PC VR driver due to the vertical field of view alone. Quest 2 just feels claustrophobic in comparison.